A modern mama on a mission to find stylish (and affordable) kids' clothes

SEPTEMBER GREY: MY INSTA SOUL SISTER

Instagram is wonderful. I find inspiration in those little squares every day. It’s a way of seeking out and connecting with people who have similar interests and style, wherever you are in the world. From interiors to travel tips, craft ideas and recipes. I’m constantly being inspired on insta.

I love how you can pick and choose what your IG feed represents. Personally, I can’t stand being guilted about my cake-heavy diet by the #eatclean carb and sugar free obsession that’s saturating the media at the moment. My lovely IG feed is totally #health and #fitspo free. It’s a daily fix of all my favourite things. Like having a magazine made just for me at the tip of my fingers which is edited and updated every day.

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you know someone who you follow on instagram? That’s weird right? I don’t think it is at all actually. You’re sharing snippets of your lives and loves for others to appreciate too. And you have common interests. The world is just a smaller place these days, of course face to face friendships are more fulfilling but they’re not always possible. This little online world brought me together with Joelle, the extremely glamorous and creative mama behind one of my favourite accounts, September Grey. (Follow for a daily dose of exquisite loveliness)

We have one mutual friend and we met at her wedding many years ago now. We have loosely followed one another’s lives on social media (Joelle’s incredible Italian wedding was hard not stalk.) But we reconnected on Instagram last year mainly through a shared appreciation of Liberty prints and classic childrenswear. Joelle has also given me lots of tips about blogging and helped me out with many things I was totally clueless about! A true insta friend.

Joelle’s 17 month old daughter, Aurora, is undoubtedly one of the most adorable insta babes out there. The perfect little muse. I mean. Just look at that little face 😍

So, Joelle has come on board to share her secrets for dressing her daughter so beautifully and has put together the most perfect edit of baby girl clothes for these cold but (hopefully) soon to be spring like days.

Over to you Joelle :)…

In truth, I wasn’t prepared for a girl. I had a list of boys names, a small selection of new-born, unisex (mainly boys) clothes and my eye on a mini vintage toy car. After the initial few months, when neither of us really wore anything but grey onesies, I started to embrace mini-girl-dressing.

I could find lovely dresses for special occasions (La Coqueta / Pepa & Co / Trotters are favourites), but for everyday wear I was totally put off by all the bright pink/purple/leopard print all covered in cartoons.

I had always loved how Sarah dressed her three gorgeous little ones in timeless pieces that were classic but without being stuffy and forced. It was exactly the style I had always admired and had hoped to find for my little one. It was more how Spanish kids are dressed for a nice evening, rather than over-the-top Prince George style. I was so excited when Sarah said she would be starting a blog. I knew it would be perfect for those who needed ideas to achieve a similar style, but without spending a fortune in the upmarket Spanish clothes shops. Pretty much all of the Hip Mini posts have given me loads of options and inspiration.

Instagram really came into its own over the past year as Aurora got older. I found a whole community of lovely mamas who dressed their little ones beautifully and proved that there were reasonable options for classic clothes if I wasn’t really into the modern/monochrome children’s style. I found wonderful small sellers (mostly other mamas) who handmade bloomers and rompers and little hair bows that weren’t giant pink Minnie-Mouse monstrosities.

The selection below are a few things that I’ve bought recently or currently have my eye on. If you like this style, then my tips for little girl dressing are:

Get decent staples. I love the Peter Pan collared or polo neck bodysuits from Petit Bateau, for example, as they wash and fit so well and come in grey / navy / burgundy /cream.

Ribbed tights and knee-high socks in a few colours are also essential if you like bloomers as much as I do! Pisamonas do a huge selection of the Condor brand, which I learnt from Sarah!

You only really need a couple of good chunky knits – Zara do lovely ones but they don’t always wash well. I quite like M&S and Boden for better quality, and I’m not fussy about shopping in the boys section if I just need some basic grey / navy ones.

The Instagram mamas really have the best selection of bloomers/rompers/bonnets/bows to finish off an outfit. Check out @trixi_kids, @mother_of_pearl_handmade, @sylvie.anne.shop, @lilyandisla_uk and @winnie_woo_bibs for some of my faves.